“Not one more”, was the protest cry of dozens of participants in the pride march of the LGBTQ community in Los Angeles, where they denounced the death of 29 transgender people so far from 2021.
“All transgender, gay and lesbian women are the most vulnerable people,” declared Katie Templeton, one of the main organizers of the march.
“Not one more”, he sentenced.
Templeton, of 35 years, revealed that a decade ago she began the process of becoming a transgender woman. Today she is 35 years old and is the girlfriend of Jessica Hogan, a transgender lesbian woman.
“Our community is also suffering from a homelessness crisis; I myself was homeless five years ago, ”she told Real America News. “Our fight continues on a daily basis; the health system must help us because we need hormones and different medications. ”
The cry“ Get up, people! Down with fanaticism! ”, Took over the scene.
“Gay pride it’s not just one day, it’s 365 days ”. “We are not going to be intimidated, we are not going to be silenced”, were some protest slogans from LGBTQ people, with banners such as: “United to defend transgender lives”, “Pride and resistance: Stonewall means fighting” or “Out of the closet to the streets. Build a movement to fight for LGBTQ rights. ”
In fact, Adán Plascencia, member of the ANSWER Coalition, the organization responsible for the march, said that, in the fight for people’s rights Transgender in the United States, particularly among the Afro-American and Latino communities, violent attacks are recorded and he said that, “throughout society there are always those who are looking for scapegoats who are not the majority of the population.”
“It all starts with the family, where they are despised for saying who they are, and then society, schools or work, where they are discriminated against because of sexual orientation,” he added. “Yes, there are laws to protect them, but the important thing is the application of those laws.”
In memory of Stone Wall and The Black Cat
Every year during the month of June, the LGBT community of the United States celebrates the influence of its community in the world.
This month was chosen in memory of the riots of Stonewall Inn, in Greenwich Village, Manhattan. A raid against the LGBTQ community that took place in 1969 In response, they staged a series of spontaneous demonstrations , to protest against the raid and calling for the establishment of places where gays and lesbians could go and be open about their sexual orientation.
“We have lived through decades of oppression because of our gender identity,” stated Preston Wood, coordinator of the march that gathered the LGBTQ community in front of The Black Cat restaurant and bar in Silver Lake, from where they marched to Echo Park in Los Angeles.
At The Black Cat, during a New Year celebration New on January 1, 1967, eight undercover LAPD cops stormed the bar shortly after midnight while the cl People exchanged celebratory hugs and kisses. During the fight, clients were beaten and dragged into the street.
“I feel discriminated against because of who I am; there are a lot of hate crimes on the streets, ”said Brandon Martinez, a gay boy from 15 years, who participated in the march, along with his friend David Martínez, also identified as homosexual.
Carolina Vega, a member of Mission Christian Church, a church that affirms the LGBTQ community expressed: “We don’t need anyone to liberate us because when we unite and organize, we have the power for our own liberation. Our liberation is linked to the liberation of people all over the world and also the liberation of women. ”
On the other hand, he stressed that“ Pride ”(Pride) is not about corporations or dollar bills with the colors of the rainbow. “It is about resistance, and there is a long history of resistance against corporations, the police, the government and religious oppression.”
Transgender people murdered
According to the Human Rights Campaign (HRC) so far from 2021, 29 transgender people have been killed by gunshots or other violent means in the United States. The victims were black and Latina transgender women.
Since HRC began tracking this data in 2013, LGBTQ rights advocates have never seen such a high number until this time of year. In 2020 died a total of 44.
Victims of intolerance Prior to the Los Angeles gay pride parade, some names of transgender people who died at the hands of intolerance were mentioned:
- Samuel Edmund Damián Valentín, a transgender man who was shot to death on January 9 in Trujillo Alto, Puerto Rico.
“She was such a beautiful young woman that she just wanted to live her life and be herself,” said Bamby Salcedo, president of the Trans Latin @ Coalition.